Mauna Kea Observatory Visitor Information Station

Second time I’ve been above the clouds without being in an airplane! Wow, the view… the view is amazing.
Transportation — we had a small SUV (not 4 wheel drive) and made it to the top. Although the majority of the people had 4 wheel drives, we also saw a lot of non-​4 wheel cars at the top We even saw a few Ford Focuses and Chevy Aveos. Yes, we all blew right by the angry red and orange signs that say you need a 4 wheel drive. I do recommend a 4×4 if it had been raining hard and it was super muddy. We got our SUV rental through Costco for $ 269 (out the door — 8 day rental).
The road past the visitor center is on gravel. When you near the top, it’s turns back into cement. It’s took about 20 minutes to get to the top from the visitor’s center.
It’s very cold at the top, so bring your jackets and wear long pants. The wind is strong. It took all my weight and strength to close my car door against the wind.
There is no real designated parking lot or stop when you get to the top. You kinda just park your car along the road or portapotties and wander from observatory to observatory. Most of the observatories are locked and do not expect any visitors. So basically, you’re just there to take pictures.
The view was worth it for us. One of the coolest things I’ve seen in my lifetime!

My husband and I hiked the Humu’ula Trail from the visitor center to the top of the summit. We are healthy experienced hikers in our late 20’s and made it up with powerbars and shared a gallon of water. This hike is NOT a joke. We fought vertigo at the top with the little oxygen provided by the atmosphere. Going down is just a difficult as going up on your feet and back. We got up in under 4 hours, took a lot of pictures at the top and made it down in 2.5 hours. Bring sunblock, proper shoes, and be prepared for any kind of climate. Lol. Ended the night with stargazing and saw Saturn and its rings. I’d do it all again!

We stayed at the visitor center and saw the sunset from one of the summits around. It was amazing to see the clouds going down around us. Then we looked at the stars using the telescopes the people from the observatory let us use. They explained a lot of very interesting stuffs about stars galaxies etc… We spend a very nice evening there!

We didn’t make it to all the way to the top. We figured it was going to take an hour to get there (which it did, but note that you must stop at the mid-​point to get acclimated for about an hour). Then it would take at least another 1.5 hours to get to the very top.
It was very cloudy that day as well, so the stars weren’t that bright. At the midpoint area, I feel like I’ve seen better nights when the stars were brighter, so we were over it pretty quickly.
If you do plan to see the stars and only plan to make it halfway, make sure you are well prepared. Bring lots of blankets, warm clothes, etc. as if it were snowing. It gets very cold at night.

You must drive warmly. You will never experience something like this. If you come to Hawaii and don’t go to the summit you’ve missed the best part of this magnificent island. You should drive a vehicle that at minimum has a low gear. But, we saw a Camry and a convertible Mercedes at the summit. Please stop at the visitor center and acclimate. Pack aspirin so you can take one if needed. I can’t stress enough to dress in multiple layers with hats and gloves.

Best sunset of my life!
4 wheel drive absolutely necessary unless you want to fall off the mountain.
Bring jacket, super cold!
There’s a lake if you’re willing to do the hike. If you’ve seen a pond once, you’ve seen them all but this one Hawaiians used to walk up the mountain to throw their babies umbilical cords into for good fortune (not their babies, they weren’t lolo!!) No slippers!!! Bare feet!!! Can you imagine what you could do with those kinds of feet?
Friday nights at the visitor center, park ranger led astronomy lesson, you could probably learn some japanese at the same time too.
Don’t go up the mountain if you just went scuba diving, you’ll get a free ride down on an ambulance (gases expand at higher elevations unless you like that kind of thing)

BRING A WARM JACKET. Dress in layers. Bring gloves. It is COLD up there at night when looking at the stars. They sell sweatshirts for $ 40 but you will need two of them to keep warm. I put JACKET on the itinerary but my friends did not listen (sigh).
Do the drive since it’s completely worth it even though it’s really cold. The drive is windy and rough but we had a Jeep so it was fine. We came here on our way back from Hilo going home to the Hilton and it was a good stop.
They had two telescopes set up (big, huge professional ones). They had a DVD going about the stars and the volunteers were nice. Plenty of parking.

Not sure how I didn’t review this originally, but being that it’s one of the most memorable portions of our Hawai’i trip I remember it like it was yesterday… invisible cows and all! We started our trek with a pastural drive to the main park area where the gift shop and rangers are, along the way the «invisible cow» signs could be seen, on our return trip that evening we discovered why as the fog moved in and a cow practically appeared out of nowhere!
The drive to the summit is not for the nervous, but if you take your time you’ll make it just fine. Definitely make sure to bring layers with you since it’s most likely snowing at the top. When you get there and even along the way, you will be blessed with some of the most breath-​taking views that you will ever see. No picture we took could do justice to the amazingness of being up there and watching the sunset below us. This is a sight not to miss when visiting the big island!

The staff are super nice. We joined the stargazing program (free), they played a video for you at 6pm, and around 7pm you can go outside to see the stars with their telescope, and a guide will show all the constellation in the sky and give you detailed explanation.
They have hot water, you can buy coffee/​coco power there.
You cannot go up to the summit after sunset. They said the headlight will disturb the observatory work.

When we got to the big island, my friend and I had an itinerary for the first day and Mauna Kea was the big finale. We drove to the summit and spent about a half hour there trying to get adjusted to the altitude. We sipped on hot chocolate, but they have coffee, tea and some quick bites if thats what you want. We then drove to the top of the mountain on an extremely rocky, dirt road. Take your time going up, we had a truck and it was ridiculously bumpy going up and my friend spilled her hot chocolate.
At the top of the mountain we were above the clouds and seen the sunset from this point. The view is absolutely spectacular. Since you are so high it is very cold up there so wear a coat, gloves, and a hat. We tried speed walking back to the car but was out of breath and light headed really quick, so dont try it lol.
We returned to the summit where they set up powerful telescopes to see the moon, mars and 2 other things, but i dont remember what they are lol. I loved being bale to see the moon so clear. There was a guy with a laser pointer educating us on all the constellations and planets. He was extremely funny so dont worry about this part being boring if your not into the stars. Great experience, I recommend anyone visiting the Big Island stop here.

I been dying to come here for about five years and was super excited when we got to the big island. I had told my friend I didn’t care what we did in Hawaii as long as this was part of it. We made sure to get here early to watch the sunset and it was out of this world.
The drive up wasn’t easy but just make sure to take your time no need to rush. Being here was like being in heaven, you look down and all you see is the clouds.
Its pretty cold up there and I’m from NY, make sure you wear a hat, gloves and a warm jacket.
Also its really hard to breath so don’t try walking fast or rushing because you will be out of breath fast.
After watching the most amazing sunset I have ever seen we drove back down to the summit to gaze at the stars. They recommend you do this since its a better view.
At the summit they had about four professional telescope where they let you see the moon, mars and some other star (can’t remember the name)
All were great to see but I was speechless when I saw the moon through the telescope and anyone that knows me knows I’m never speechless :)
Even without the telescope you look up and see thousands of stars, its the most beautiful thing I ever seen.
After being extremely happy and amazed the educational part started with this guy who was super knowledgeable and funny. He took out his laser pointer and explain all the stars and planets. It was a great experience and the highlight of my trip.
If you only do one thing in Hawaii this should be.

Wow. The Mauna Kea summit is an unbelievable place to watch the sunset and astronomical objects. We saw stars, planets (with the help of telescopes), globular and open clusters, and more.
Note #1: Wear layers and gloves. It is cold on the summit!
Note #2: When the moon is very bright, all other objects are less visible in the sky.

This is the highlight of my trip. I was left open mouthed with the majestic view of the sunset. I think I can die here. It is a spiritual experience to see the world from this high up. It is almost surreal but yet this is true. Thank you Big Island Hawaii for providing me with this experience. I was truly amazed!

CALL AHEAD!
I did NOT go to this attraction but I thought it prudent to give someone some info before they made the hour+ drive to it from Hilo. My husband and I read all of the reviews about how great it was, how to prepare for it, etc. However, today, 2.13.14, it was drizzly and overcast. We decided to call ahead and ask a staff member if we should make the drive on this type of day. We were told we would not see the sunset because of the cloudy overcast day, and that we would not really see any stars because it was overcast AND the moon was full, even if it was a clear night, 70% of the stars couldn’t be seen because the moon was so bright. That honest feedback from the park staff member saved us hours of driving and disappointment. Recommendation: CALL AHEAD!

There is snow in Hawaii that you can snowboard on… no joke.
Jump in the 80-​degree Pacific ocean, then take the tour up to the top of Mauna Kea, then zip up the parka, then soak in the sunset, take pics, then check out the stars in the sky when it gets late… it’s so brilliant, since it’s pitch dark… hella sick!
Then strip and jump back in the ocean.
It’s expensive for the tour but you will NEVER forget it.
Mahalo.

What an experience! Awesome vistas and snow on the ground (in the shade) in June in Hawaii! Dress warm (layers)! Bring food and water and 4-​wheel drive is strongly recommended. Err on the side of safety, people!
NO, this is NOT good for children under 14 years of age due to high altitude and low oxygen. My cousin who worked for Subaru Telescope for years told us not to bring our son up until he was 14 years old or older due to the possibility of brain damage due to lack of oxygen at that high altitude — NO JOKE. And there is such a thing as altitude sickness — I am susceptible to it and it’s no laughing matter!

Mauna Kea Summit is one of the only places in the world where you can drive from sea level to 14,000 feet in about 2 hours so we rented a 4WD car as recommended. We arrived about 30 minutes before sunrise for amazing sights! It will be super cold so bring all the warm clothing you got! See my many pictures.
More info here:

Toss everything you thought you knew about the night sky away. All the astronomy books you’ve read. The telescopes you’ve previously looked though. Films you’ve viewed. Pictures you’ve seen. Everything you thought you knew about stars, constellations and the universe isn’t quite yet complete. Not without a visit to the crest of Mauna Kea.
We began our trek up Mauna Kea with a small tour group in a 4×4 vehicle. At apx. 9,000 feet is a visitor center. You can see the sky clearly from this vantage point while still maintaining a clear head. At the peak though, all bets are off.
About halfway up, the paved road gives way to rough terrain. This is by design. Sacred land valued by both the locals and by NASA lies ahead. Mauna Kea wasn’t meant as a tourist attraction.
At it’s peak of 13,803 feet, things are different. Dizziness sets in. It’s bitter cold up here. A layer of permafrost exists at this height. The terrain resembles lunar space rocks rather than the typical soil at sea level. At this height, you are not only above the clouds, but you’re also on the most isolated island in the world. Artificial light pollution is minimal. When the day comes to a close and the sun gives way to the inky black skies, the sky really begins to reveal itself. Panic of small and insignificant suddenly define your existence. Above you are entire galaxies and universes, all seen with more clarity than ever before. The stars are vivid and striking. A new appreciation for life is had.
The experience and view is worth a lifetime of memories. No trip to the Big Island is complete without a visit to the summit of Mauna Kea.

The observatories rock. The landscape is like something from the moon. And it’s cold all the time. Definitely worth an afternoon. Took the rental car all the way to the top. Drove slow and it was no problem with the road.
There is a visitor’s center, but other than that, the info is sparese. Know before you go. For more information:

Driving up here and back down in the dark can be quite a daunting task. However, it’s totally worth the trip once you arrive at the observatory. I was in awe just by the starry sky. There are no city lights at all, so the stars are shining brilliantly. The cool thing about the observatory is that they have all these humongous high powered telescopes set up outside and the astronomers are there to educate you about the stars, planets, galaxies, space and all that. I was geeking out to the 10^th power!
Helpful hints: bring warm clothes and gloves! I know it’s HI, but when you’re up at high elevation during the night, it gets very chilly! Also, bring a flashlight bc there’s no lighting in the parking lot. They sell hocho inside the visitors center, which is a bonus!